Shloka 1
तीर्थवंशोपदेशः
Tīrtha-vaṃśa Upadeśa: Instruction on the Fruits of Sacred Waters
युधिष्ठिरने पूछा--पितामह! देवता और ऋषियोंने श्राद्धके समय देवकार्य तथा पितृकार्यमें जिस-जिस कर्मका विधान किया है, उसका वर्णन मैं आपके मुखसे सुनना चाहता हूँ
Yudhiṣṭhira uvāca—Pitāmaha! devatā-ṛṣibhiḥ śrāddha-samaye deva-kārye ca pitṛ-kārye ca yat yat karma-vidhānaṃ vihitaṃ, tasya varṇanaṃ tava mukhāt śrotum icchāmi.
Yudhiṣṭhira said: “Grandfather, I wish to hear from your own lips a clear account of the rites that the gods and the seers have prescribed for the time of śrāddha—both the offerings due to the deities and the duties owed to the ancestors.”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames śrāddha as a dharmic obligation governed by authoritative injunctions: one must understand and perform both deva-kārya (duties to the gods) and pitṛ-kārya (duties to the ancestors) according to the procedures taught by sages, emphasizing fidelity to tradition and responsibility across generations.
Yudhiṣṭhira, intent on righteous conduct after the war, questions Bhīṣma (lying as the revered teacher) and requests a detailed explanation of the prescribed rites to be performed during śrāddha—specifically the distinct ritual duties toward deities and toward ancestors.